The Concept

We are taking a single "Full SBS" file (which contains both eyes side-by-side in one wide frame) and slicing it down the middle. Because your source might be a cinema-style "Ultrawide" format (like 3840x800), we must also add black bars (padding) to the top and bottom to reach the mandatory Blu-ray height of 1080 pixels.

Figure 1: Visual process of splitting Full SBS into two 1080p streams with padding.

The Command

Run this in your terminal:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -filter_complex "[0:v]split=2[l_raw][r_raw]; \
 [l_raw]crop=1920:ih:0:0,pad=1920:1080:0:(1080-ih)/2:black[leftout]; \
 [r_raw]crop=1920:ih:1920:0,pad=1920:1080:0:(1080-ih)/2:black[rightout]" \
-map "[leftout]" -c:v libx264 -crf 16 -preset slow -r 23.976 -pix_fmt yuv420p left_eye.mkv \
-map "[rightout]" -c:v libx264 -crf 16 -preset slow -r 23.976 -pix_fmt yuv420p right_eye.mkv

You want to use the command in 1 line when using command prompt instead:

ffmpeg -i input.mkv -filter_complex "[0:v]split=2[l_raw][r_raw];[l_raw]crop=1920:ih:0:0,pad=1920:1080:0:(1080-ih)/2:black[leftout];[r_raw]crop=1920:ih:1920:0,pad=1920:1080:0:(1080-ih)/2:black[rightout]" -map "[leftout]" -c:v libx264 -crf 16 -preset slow -r 23.976 -vsync cfr -pix_fmt yuv420p left_eye.mkv -map "[rightout]" -c:v libx264 -crf 16 -preset slow -r 23.976 -vsync cfr -pix_fmt yuv420p right_eye.mkv

Command Breakdown

Verification: The "Perfect Sync" Check

Ensure both files have the exact same number of frames to prevent player crashes.

ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=nb_frames -of default=nokey=1:noprint_wrappers=1 left_eye.mkv
ffprobe -v error -select_streams v:0 -show_entries stream=nb_frames -of default=nokey=1:noprint_wrappers=1 right_eye.mkv

Why this ensures 100% Compatibility

• Resolution: Satisfies the BD-ROM physical specification.
• Timing: Eliminates "drift" between eyes.
• Bitstream: Standard x264 inside mkv is the preferred input for Cinevision.

Part A: The MakeMKV Pull

Extract the data off the physical disc without changing a single bit of quality.

1. Open the Disc: Launch MakeMKV and click the Optical Drive icon.
2. Select the Title: Find the largest Title (main movie).
3. Uncheck Video: You handled this in Step 1.
4. Select Audio: Check high-definition tracks (DTS-HD MA, TrueHD, etc.).
5. Output: Click "Make MKV" to create your backup.mkv.

Figure 2: Selecting only the HD audio tracks in MakeMKV.

Part B: Extracting the Audio with FFmpeg

Professional authoring tools are extremely picky—they cannot read an MKV file directly. We need to perform "surgery" to pull out the raw audio data. Before we do that, we must identify exactly which audio track we want to grab.

1. Preliminary: Find your Track Number

Movies often have multiple audio tracks (different languages or commentary). We need to find the Stream Index of the one you want. Run this command:

ffprobe -v error -show_streams -select_streams a backup.mkv

Look at the results and find the language you need. The "Index" number determines your -map setting:

• If your track is the first one listed: Use -map 0:a:0
• If your track is the second one listed: Use -map 0:a:1
• (And so on...)

2. Run the Extraction Command

Choose the command below that matches the type of audio you selected in MakeMKV. If your track index wasn't 0, remember to update the -map part!

ffmpeg -i backup.mkv -map 0:a:0 -c copy movie.mlp -map 0:a:0 -c copy movie.ac3

ffmpeg -i backup.mkv -map 0:a:0 -c copy movie.dts

ffmpeg -i backup.mkv -map 0:a:0 -c copy movie.ec3

ffmpeg -i backup.mkv -map 0:a:0 -c copy movie.ac3

Technical Cheat Sheet

Part C: The MUI Generator (The "Scenarist Bridge")

Once you have extracted your files, you need to prepare the high-definition tracks. While standard AC3 files can be imported into Scenarist directly, Lossless HD formats (TrueHD/Atmos and DTS-HD MA) must be processed through the MUI Generator to create a "VES" (Video Elementary Stream) asset.

Step 3: Extracting and Preparing Subtitles

Subtitles on a Blu-ray are not text files; they are high-quality images (bitmaps). To prepare them for professional authoring, we must extract them and "deconstruct" them into a format Scenarist can read.

Part A: Identifying Subtitle Tracks

Before extracting, you need to find which Stream Index belongs to the subtitles you want (e.g., English, forced subtitles, etc.). Use ffprobe to scan your MakeMKV backup:

ffprobe -v error -show_streams -select_streams s backup.mkv

Look for the index number and the TAG:language:

• If the subtitles you want are the first subtitle stream listed: Use -map 0:s:0
• If they are the second: Use -map 0:s:1 (and so on).

Part B: Extracting to .SUP Format

Once you have the index, we pull the raw bitstream out of the MKV container using the .sup extension—the standard raw format for Blu-ray subtitles.

The Command:

ffmpeg -i backup.mkv -map 0:s:0 -c copy movie_subs.sup

(Note: Replace 0:s:0 with the index you found in Part A).

Part C: Converting for Scenarist (The XML/PNG Method)

Scenarist cannot import a .sup file directly. It requires a series of images (PNGs) and a timing script (XML). To do this, we use BDSup2Sub++.

1. Load the Asset: Open your movie_subs.sup file in BDSup2Sub++.
2. Verify Frame Rate: Upon loading, ensure the "Source FPS" matches your video (usually 23.976). If it doesn't, change the "Output FPS" to match.
3. Check for Delay: If your subtitles need to be offset (e.g., if the movie starts 2 seconds late), you can apply a global delay in the Edit menu before exporting.
4. Set Output Format: In the "Output Format" dropdown menu, select XML/PNG.
5. Export: Go to File > Export. Create a dedicated folder for this specific subtitle track (e.g., /SUBS_ENGLISH/).

The Result: The folder will now be filled with hundreds of PNG images and one .xml file containing all timing and positioning data.

Step 4: Extracting Chapters for Scenarist

Chapters are essential for navigation. Professional authoring tools like Scenarist are extremely specific about how they receive this data. You cannot simply import a text list; it must be a precisely formatted, single-line CSV string.

Part A: The Primary Source (MakeMKV Backup)

The most efficient way to get Scenarist-ready timecodes is using ffprobe on the MKV you created in Step 2. This file contains the precise timestamps from the original Blu-ray.

Run this command to see the chapters:

ffprobe -i backup.mkv -print_format csv -show_chapters -loglevel error

Part B: The Backup Source (SBS Video)

If you don't have the original disc backup, you can extract the chapters from your Full SBS MKV. Note that if the SBS was edited or trimmed, these chapters will be more accurate to your current video length than the original disc data would be.

Run this command:

ffprobe -i input_sbs.mkv -print_format csv -show_chapters -loglevel error

Part C: Formatting for the Scenarist CSV

Regardless of which source you used, Scenarist demands a very specific single-line format. It will not accept a vertical list or a standard text file. You must assemble the output into a .csv file following these rules:

1. The Mandatory Header

Your CSV file must start with the frame rate and the clock type. For a standard 3D Blu-ray, this is:

2. The Timecode Formatting

Scenarist requires the format HH:MM:SS:FF (Hours:Minutes:Seconds:Frames).

• The Millisecond Trap: Many tools output HH:MM:SS.ms (milliseconds). You must replace that last decimal with a colon and a frame number (00-23).
• The First Chapter: You must always start the list with 00:00:00:00.

3. Final Assembly

Combine your header and your timestamps into one continuous line separated by commas. There should be no spaces or line breaks.

23.976,NonDrop,00:00:00:00,00:13:48:15,00:23:36:03,00:31:34:18,00:40:02:01,00:48:27:19

Step 5: Encoding for 3D (CineVision)

Part A: The 3D Bitrate Calculator

3D Blu-ray encoding is a balancing act. Use the tool below to calculate your Target Bitrate for CineVision and the TS Rates for Scenarist.

Part B: CineVision Settings (Truth vs. Myths)

Many legacy PDF guides contain advice rooted in the software instabilities of the early 2010s. Below is the breakdown of modern "Truths" versus "Bad Advice," followed by the optimized settings list.

1. The Truth (What to Follow)

• Scan Mode & Pixel Format: You must set Scan Mode to Progressive and Pixel Format to YV12. 3D Blu-rays are inherently progressive; encoding as interlaced will cause a critical failure during Scenarist import.
• GOP Structure: Setting B-frames to 3 and Reference Frames to 4 is the gold standard. This provides the best compression while staying within hardware playback limits.
• Motion Search: Setting this to Exhaustive is essential for quality. It is the slowest mode, but it ensures the encoder accurately maps the similarities between the Left and Right eyes to save bitrate.
• Bitrate Buffering: Never max out your bitrate to the theoretical limit. Always leave a safety margin to prevent "Buffer Underflow" errors in the final muxing stage.

2. The "Bad" (What to Ignore)

3. The "Perfect" CineVision Settings List

Use these specific settings to ensure a 100% compliant encode that imports perfectly into Scenarist:

Part C: Finalizing the Encode and Managing the "Speed Limit"

Before you hit the "Start" button in CineVision, you need to understand the Transport Rate. Think of the Blu-ray player as a pipe: it can only handle a certain amount of data per second.

1. The 64.8 Mbps Speed Limit: The total transport rate of a 3D Blu-ray (the combined bitrate of your Video + all Audio tracks + Subtitles) cannot exceed 64.8 Mbps. The Balancing Act: If you are only including one English DTS-HD track, you can afford a very high video bitrate. The Warning: If you are adding five different languages or multiple lossless tracks, those audio streams "eat" into your speed limit. If the total data flow gets too high, Scenarist will throw a Buffer Underflow error because the "pipe" is full. The Strategy: Use the calculator from Part A to ensure your settings are safe. It’s better to have a slightly lower bitrate than a disc that crashes your player.

2. The Final Push in CineVision: Once you have imported your Left and Right eye views and applied the "Perfect Settings" we discussed, it’s time to encode. Start the Encode: Go to File > Encode > Session. CineVision will now begin the heavy lifting of creating your 3D MVC streams. Seal the Deal: Once the encoding bars reach 100%, you aren't quite done. You must go to File > Finalize Session. This step "wraps" the data into the final files that Scenarist can read.

3. The "Clean Up" (What to Keep): CineVision creates a lot of temporary "junk" files during the process. To keep your project folder organized, you only need to keep two files for the next step: The Base View: Look for the file ending in .mvc (This is your Left Eye). The Dependent View: Look for the file ending in _d.mvc (This is your Right Eye data). Everything else in that folder can be deleted. You now have the "Master Video Assets" ready for the final authoring stage.

Step 6: Authoring in Scenarist BD